Feds To Politicians: It's Simple. Don't Take Money.

September 23, 2009|Posted by Brittany Wallman on September 23, 2009 04:38 PM

At today's big press conference in the U.S. Attorney's Office in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Jeffrey H. Sloman, acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, fielded questions from the media about the U.S. Attorney/FBI stings that netted charges against Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion, former Miramar Commissioner Fitzroy Salesman and Broward School Board member Beverly Gallagher, as well as against local businessmen Ronald Owens and Joel Williams, and Sidney Cambridge of the Bahamas.

He said there were "a lot of moving parts'' and that's why it took so long, and why all three were able to go forward and run for their offices even after the investigation began. Only Salesman was defeated, coming in fourth out of four, on the heels of his suspension from office for a gun-waving incident.

Owens and Gallagher turned themselves in to the federal courthouse on Broward Boulevard, he said. The remainder were arrested.

The arrests today were standard, he said, "and I believe some even knew that it was coming.''

When someone asked whether the politicians offered resistance or jumped at the opportunities the undercover agents offered, Sloman responded this way: "I think we're all sensitive about entrapment issues, and we're not concerned about entrapment.''

Read more on the jump, including his advice to politicians.

Sloman wouldn't say how the FBI selected these particular politicians for the sting.

He said the feds are gratified that their sting resulted in charges, but they're also saddened that public corruption continues.

"It saddens me every time we have one of these press conferences to announce a public corruption indictment or charge. .. Hopefully the message will get out that, eventually, if this is what you go into public service for, eventually you'll be caught.''

He said it's not that complicated to avoid running afoul of the law.

"Our message would be: Don't take money on matters that involve the public trust and try to keep it a secret. It's very simple. If you're a politician and you're taking money and you're voting on matters that affect the people you're taking money from, you shouldn't do that. It's pretty simple.''

Yet, he said, politicians continue to act corruptly.

"It just stuns me, everytime it happens,'' Sloman said.

Sloman said the feds' work here is not over.

"The investigation is continuing,'' Sloman said, declining to give details.